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Duration of short-term plans in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania does not have regulations pertaining to the length of time that a short-term health insurance plan can remain in force, so the state defaults to the federal guidelines. Until October 2018, federal rules limited short-term plans to three months in duration. But the Trump Administration’s new rules for short-term plans allow for initial terms of up to 364 days and total duration, including renewal, of up to 36 months.

Insurance commissioner outspoken about short-term health insurance

Pennsylvania’s Insurance Commissioner, Jessica Altman, has been outspoken in her opposition to the Trump Administration’s rule change for short-term health plans. Altman submitted comments to HHS in April 2018, when the proposed rule was under consideration, making it clear that the expansion of short-term plans would be detrimental to consumers and to the ACA-compliant risk pool.

On August 1, when the new rules were finalized, Altman stated that she was “disappointed and extremely concerned,” noting that the final rule to expand short-term plans “opens the door further to confusion, uncertainty, market instability and even deceptive marketing.”

Later in August, Altman announced that short-term health insurance carriers in Pennsylvania would need to re-file their products with the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. This will allow regulators to verify that the plans are in compliance with the new rules, including the provision requiring a disclosure notice about what the plans do and do not cover.